world we created, paul lahote

Chapter 05

Days seemed to pass by in a blur of endless studying for Lucia. Even though she was mainly hauled up in her room with a gradually dwindling will to live, she'd come to notice how odd Bella was. Not only was she abnormally twitchy but she always managed to trip over her own two feet. Not to mention the fact she had an unhealthy obsession with the supernatural--Lucia having noticed her pile of vampire lore and fantasy books.

All that aside, she was able to draw boys in like bees to pollen as effortlessly as breathing. It was astounding, really. And laughable. She'd watched with amusement as Mike tripped over himself to gain the monotonous girl's attention who seemed adamant to avoid it at all costs. She'd also noticed in passing how Jacob seemed rather bashful around her cousin, too. It was confusing.

A thick cloud of suffocating jealousy had settled over the trio as they waited for Bella who went ahead to buy their (Lucia, Jacob, and her own) tickets. Lucia wasn't sure why she trusted Bella on choices in movies considering what a joke the previous one had been. Her eyes danced between the two boys who stood awkwardly in front of each other--Jacob leaning against the wall beside the girl while Mike rocked on his heels in front of them.

"So... Face Punch, huh?" Jacob spoke up, breaking the ice. He didn't seem the least bit intimidated by the blond boy who couldn't say the same. "You like action movies?"

Mike thinned his lips, giving a curt shake of his head. "Not really."

"It may surprise us, right?" Lucia attempted to dissolve the stifling cloud of jealousy though it didn't do much. The girl was starting to believe her cousin was a siren with how enamoured these boys were with her. "Might be a complete comical flop."

Jacob clicked his tongue. "I heard it sucks. Bad."

"Are you even old enough to see this movie?" Mike asked and he just seemed to continue the word vomit that escaped him at Jacob's amused expression. It was mocking, Lucia could tell. He found Mike to be nothing short of a joke. "I... I mean, without adult supervision."

"Well, that's why she's buying my ticket," Jacob explained with that same amusement that made the blond feel mocked. He shrunk into his beige jacket subtly, praying that Bella would return soon.

"She's buying your ticket." He nodded in understanding, looking away. "Okay, yeah."

Lucia nearly jumped for joy when Bella returned, a breath escaping her lips. She didn't know how much longer she could go on being the middleman between the two. She knew next to nothing about any of these boys (save for Jacob's glaringly obvious love for Bella and Jessica's obsession with Mike).

"Jessica bailed and Angela got the stomach fluttering. So Eric's taking care of her," Bella informed them. "It's just us four."

Jacob agreed happily though Mike wasn't as enthused. The awkwardness of it all was starting to cling to Lucia's skin and she wanted nothing more than to go home. She'd assumed that since they were in a bigger group, Bella would be less inclined to hop off some random creeps motorcycle or to do anything reckless. This, however, was torture.

Bella clicked her tongue before making her way into the theatre with the other three following behind her.

Face Punch will forever go down in Lucia's books as a complete waste of time and a mind-numbingly boring film. From the graphics to the atrocious acting, she'd nearly fallen asleep a few times during it. She would've if it weren't for Mike's constant fidgeting and how he'd begun to look particularly green.

Just as her head lolled to the side once more and her eyes fluttered shut for the final time, Mike darted to his feet. "Okay, I think I'm gonna throw up."

The blue-eyed boy rushed out of the theatre, shoving open the door and presumably making his way to the restroom. Lucia followed swiftly after him, grateful that she wouldn't have to be subjected to that movie anymore. She tossed her empty popcorn bowl and slushy cup into the trash before heading to the snack counter. She drummed her fingers on the cool countertop as she browsed the various sweet treats on display, debating if she should get Skittles or just another slushy.

Everything was so expensive.

"Hey," the guy behind the counter greeted me with a charming smile. Her eyes shifted to his name tag which read Keith.

"Hi." She propped her head up on her fist, the boy in front of her flushing at the equally as charming grin she wore. "I'm entirely conflicted on what to buy. What would you recommend?"

Keith cleared his throat as he briefly looked over his shoulder before returning his stare to her, his smile turning bashful. "Well, I usually get the pretzels but it depends on what you're craving at the moment."

"Hm." Lucia straightened once again, dropping her hand to the counter once more. "Something sweet."

"The Reese's Cups are pretty good," he tells her, blowing out a breath in an attempt to cool his reddened cheeks.

"Then I'll have that then." Lucia quickly paid for the Reese's and sent a final smile the boys engaged which he returned once more, hurrying away to hide from her green-eyed stare. Lucia chuckled as she approached Bella, Jacob, and Mike who seemed to be having a heated discussion.

"-put you in the hospital?" Jacob asked with a sudden aggression Lucia hadn't seen earlier. Her eyes widened along with Mike's, the blond clearly backing away from the angered boy.

"Jake. Jake the movies over. What are you doing?" Bella questioned, leaping to her feet to stop Jacob from charging at Mike. Bella's hands rested on Jacob's chest and she looked at them. "You're really hot."

Lucia could only gape at the scene unfolding before her. Who says that?

Mike seemed just as flummoxed, floored by Bella's inability to read the room. His eyes remained teary-eyed from his session of throwing up as he stared on, swearing to himself he wouldn't put himself through this again. He released a deep breath, furiously wiping at his eyes. Lucia patted him on his back and offered him a Reese's Cup which he took gratefully.

"I feel like you have a fever. Are you okay?" Bella asked.

"I don't know what's happening," Jacob replied, frowning at the ground as he searched for an answer in his mind. It looked as if he almost wanted to answer to be plastered on the floor for him to understand. "I gotta go."

Jacob hurried away, his boots thumping on the floor as he left the door slamming shut behind him. Mike looked between Bella and Lucia in utter confusion at the Black boy's sudden change in mood.

"Dude is weird," Mike said, shoving his hands into his pockets as he looked to the door once more.

Bella and Lucia simply stared out the door, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Mike--though Lucia was sure Bella would disagree with him. Lucia was undecided having only just met Jacob. From what she heard, he didn't seem like someone who got angry quickly but the constant tension that lingered since Jacob and Mike interacted never left throughout the night. She supposed it had to do with that but only time would tell.